Madison Bikes

This is a guest post by Dan Pensinger. Dan attended last week’s public input meeting on potential changes to the Howard Temin Lakeshore Path on the UW campus. Our regular newsletter is taking a break this week.

Edit (Nov 13): The post was edited to clarify the scope of the study. The study only looked at the path between Willow Creek and the Limnology building. We also added links to the video of the meeting and the full slide deck on the project page: https://cpd.fpm.wisc.edu/howard-temin-lakeshore-path-paving-and-lighting-study/

The Lakeshore Path is a major connecting route between the Memorial Union, lakeshore dorms, Picnic Point, Eagle Heights, and the UW Hospital. Last week, the UW held a meeting about a study looking at the section of the path between Willow Creek on the west and the Limnology Building on the east (see image below). The path sees a lot of traffic from walkers, runners, and cyclists. The area under study is currently surfaced with crushed limestone, which gets muddy and washes out with rain, and is icy and hazardous during the winter. The part of the path along Muir Woods is tree covered on both sides, making it pitch black at night. This makes many path users afraid to use it after dark, and increases the risk of collision between pedestrians and cyclists. These difficulties with using the path sometimes force cyclists onto narrow Observatory Drive where they have to contend with traffic passing on a very steep hill, or to busy University Ave, which is much more hazardous when traveling westbound.

The University commissioned landscaping group Damon Farber to study the issue and make recommendations. The results of their online surveys indicate that about a third of interested parties want no changes to the path’s current state. The other two thirds are not necessarily opposed to paving and lighting options, if these options are cognizant of environmental and wildlife concerns along the lake. Damon Farber split the path into a west section by the dorms and an east section by Muir Woods for separate consideration. After the presentation by Damon Farber staff there was a small group breakout session for attendees to provide feedback.

Paving the path

Damon Farber presented two paving options for the western section. Both options included asphalt for cyclists and a more shock absorbing shoulder material for runners. The main difference between these options was the shoulder material being made from a porous rubber or something less water permeable but still considered environmentally friendly. There were questions about how winter salting would be handled with different surfaces and proximity to the lake. Professional ecologists were present to give informed discussion, and some criticism on the current salting procedure used by the University. I would say that overall attendees to the meeting were supportive of paving options, with several cyclists present giving similar input. There were a couple of folks who objected to making any changes to the path.

The east section options presented included a permeable asphalt or a raised boardwalk. Other attendees and I raised A LOT of concerns about the boardwalk option. Wooden boardwalks can be extremely slippery for bikes when wet. It was also not clear how the boardwalk would interact with the university’s snow removal equipment, and if the boardwalk might encounter the bridge effect where airflow underneath leads to icing. There are potential ADA issues with some boardwalk surfaces, and the boardwalk may obstruct emergency vehicles. The raised nature of the boardwalk also increases the stakes for path conflicts between walkers, runners, and bikers. Furthermore, students returning home to the lakeshore dorms are sometimes inebriated and would be more likely to hurt themselves falling off the boardwalk. Hopefully Damon Farber takes this feedback into account in their recommendation to the University.

On the subject of lighting, in general those who opposed it tended to be those who also opposed paving. The rest of the attendees supported lighting with some caveats. Damon Farber prepared their proposals according to recommended best practices for reducing light pollution and minimizing wildlife impact. This means avoiding lighting containing blue light on the eastern section through the woods, as many studies have indicated blue light is harmful for both wildlife and humans at night. Other color options suggested by Damon Farber were red and amber. Red is considered wildlife-friendly, but studies have shown that it is not favored highly by people compared to amber, which is also considered wildlife friendly, and Damon Farber included more example materials of amber lighting. Lighting on the western section of the path by the dorms could be either white or colored, but for colored lighting to have the desired impact, current exterior lights on the dorms would also need to be changed from bright white.

The other lighting discussion points were about the design/height of light fixtures and whether a curfew for the lights should be implemented. I strongly opposed a light curfew as light helps avoid collisions and the path usage would be increased at night if it was well lit. From personal experience, I know students study late at College Library, which is the 24-hour library on campus and located directly on the path. Students then take the path back to the dorms at all hours of the night, but often report feeling unsafe doing so without lighting.

Conclusion and what’s next

 The Howard Temin Lakeshore Path is a scenic area and one of the most utilized multi-use paths in Madison. The path extends 2 miles through campus with a single street crossing, making it exceptionally safe from a traffic standpoint. Both paving and lighting will make the path more usable during all weather conditions, and at all times of the day. Hopefully, the University moves forward with these options in an environmentally conscientious way. Damon Farber plans to have a few more student-focused feedback opportunities next week, and to present their final recommendations to the University near the end of the year. If you want to watch a video recording of the meeting or see the full slide deck, you can do so on the project page. Any member of the public can email the Damon Farber team at jrefsland@damonfarber.com

This is a post by Harald Kliems and Craig Weinhold. The views expressed are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Madison Bikes.

City Budgets and Referendum

The city’s operating budget and its structural deficit have been a hot topic since March, with dire pronouncements of service cuts to pools, libraries, and waste drop-off sites. In July, the common council voted to put a $22 million referendum on the Nov 5 ballot. If passed, the average Madison home (valued at $457,300) would see a property tax increase of about $230/year, or about $20/month.

Since July, the financial landscape has changed slightly due to proactive budget cuts, better than expected investment income, reduced General Obligation borrowing, and a new proposed Infrastructure Special Charge (described below). As of the mayor’s October Executive budget (which will be voted on by the common council in November), just $5.6M in cuts are now proposed if the referendum fails to pass. No additional cuts are expected for 2026. But come 2027, if there’s no change in state funding, we’ll be back in the same situation.

If the referendum passes, the mayor predicts the budget will be good for five years without any additional cuts or hand-wringing, even if state funding does not come through.

So, what’s at risk for bicycling?

On first sight, there are only three items to be cut if the referendum fails:

• Snow removal from multi-use paths removal will no longer be done with overtime hours (projected savings: a measly $15,000). How this plays out depends on the vagaries of winter weather. Clearing major paths on the weekends and holidays was only started in 2020 through a budget amendment. Before then, weekend snow events often led to persistent bad path conditions. 
• Metro must reduce service hours to the tune of $500,000, in addition to a one-time $500,000 cut in 2025. The cuts will likely focus on early/late and weekend service. Metro is an important backup option for bikers. 
• One vacant traffic engineering position will be eliminated. This will slow projects and impact staff morale.

But also at stake are subtle, longer-lasting things:

Optics: Regardless of the referendum’s outcome, the spectre of Madison’s budget problems will now loom over every project and Common Council vote. In general that’s not a bad thing, but “budget” is an easy argument to lob against anything one dislikes. E.g., when two alders last year spoke out against the Autumn Ridge path, they framed their opposition as budget concerns (despite voting for plenty of other expensive projects closer to their districts). Social media flames blaming BRT and bicyclists for every woe on the road are now invoking “budget!” as a primary line of attack. 

Morale: The city’s transportation and engineering staff are fantastic. They love this city even though many of them cannot afford to live here. They get lower pay than in the private sector while having to endure all the frustration of working in government and being held to an impossibly high standard by the public. The 2025 budget cuts have created anxiety about salary, benefits, workload, team size, etc. Staff are being asked to do more with less, and that will only get worse. Regardless of how the referendum turns out, some staff may be looking for other options. And fewer staff means less capacity to bring in grants and to plan and deliver projects.

Community and Culture: It’s hard to predict which and how many Madison events, activities, and experiences will be impacted by the budget cuts. E.g., the Shifting Gears Bike Path Dance Festival is one of about fifty organizations that would lose grants from the Madison Arts Commission. Would they soldier on? Will a stretched Madison Parks department still host Ride the Drive? Will Make Music Madison be more subdued? Public art? These may not affect bicycling per se, but they certainly are part of what makes bicycling in Madison special and joyful.

“Infrastructure Special Charge”

One way to make up for the missing tax dollars if the referendum fails is an “infrastructure special charge.” The revenue from this charge would be used to cover street repair and maintenance, lighting, signage, signals, pavement markings, and bike & ped facilities. The charge will be based on how many car trips a property is assumed to generate, which, in turn, is estimated by the number of parking spaces. A single-family home will see about $6.35 in monthly charge on their municipal service bill, right next to their water, sewer, and urban forestry charges. The city hopes to raise $10M annually from this charge.

It’s a novel use of special charges that have historically been used for sidewalks, though the City started using them for Urban Forestry and Recycling in 2023. This is an innovative strategy, but it’s bound to draw howls of protest and a likely legal fight. Other communities that have tried instituting similar transportation fees have been dragged to court.  

How the Operating and Capital Budgets relate

The current budget woes affect the operating budget that covers recurring expenses like staff and loan payments. Of the proposed $417M operating budget, 62% goes to salaries and benefits for the City’s 3,000+ employees.

The capital budget, on the other hand, is primarily about big one-time costs like new roads, paths, buildings, or bus fleets. The construction of new bike infrastructure largely falls to the capital budget.

The two budgets intertwine in both direct and indirect ways:

• Capital projects require loans, and the repayment of those loans often comes from the operating budget. This is called general obligation or GO borrowing (aka “debt service”), and it’s the second largest item in the budget ($68M, about 16% of the budget).
  
  
  
  For example, the 2024 capital budget has $273M in projects, of which about ⅓ ($87M) is funded with GO borrowing. That means the $4.8M “Bike Path” expense on page 388 might require about $1.6M in borrowing. Assuming a worst-case, 10-year, 7% loan for $1.6M, the debt service would come to about $230K per year against the operating budget. That’s small, but not negligible.
• Once built, all infrastructure requires maintenance and upkeep. Consider the new Segoe protected bike lanes between Regent St and University Ave: They are too narrow for regular-size street sweepers and snow plows, so city staff will need to transport specialized equipment there, and they’ll need staff trained to operate it.
• Speaking of snow removal, property owners are responsible for their sidewalks, but the city is generally responsible for the paths. In fact, free snow removal is a carrot dangled in front of homeowners to get them to agree to paths (e.g., the new Hammersley Rd path). So every new path implies additional snow removal costs for the city. 

The Future

The Nov 5 election will likely not flip the state legislature to Democratic control, but it will shake the Republicans’ hold on power. With more seats at the table (and hopefully stepped up city lobbying), Madison should see increased state funding in the coming years.

On the whole, the city’s first-ever $22M referendum is modest and responsible, gives five years of financial clarity, and has a trivial impact on property taxes ($20/month!). It also comes on the heels of significant cuts and belt-tightening across the city. In contrast, MMSD has been using referendums as a business-as-usual strategy, with seven of them in the past 25 years.

No matter how the referendum turns out, Madison needs its bike community to continue showing up in support of smart transportation. Keep celebrating changes, large, and small, that have improved your daily rides. And involve your alder, your neighbor, your coworker, and others in that celebration. Stay engaged with the Southwest and Southeast area plans that kick off in the next two months. Show up to the budget hearings at the common council (Nov 12-14). And, as you do speak up, keep the budget optics in mind.

Be informed

To help inform you about the financial context and impact of the property taxes, we have built two web tools. Harald created a website that shows how the assessed value, different kinds of property taxes, and the consumer price index have developed over the past few years. Craig’s tool is looking into the future: How much are the city referendum and the two MMSD referendums going to increase your (or your landlord’s) property taxes?